Havana, June 6 (RHC-Xinhua)-- A Vietnamese military delegation headed by Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich, began an official three-day visit to Cuba on Monday.

Shortly after arriving in Havana, General Ngo and his delegation paid tribute to Cuban war heroes General Antonio Maceo and his aide Captain Francisco Gómez Toro at a solemn ceremony. They were accompanied by Cuba's first defense deputy minister General Alvaro López Miera.

The Vietnamese defense minister expressed his satisfaction at visiting Cuba and thanked the leaders of the two countries for promoting friendship and brotherhood.

He stressed that the Vietnamese people will always remember when revolutionary leader, the late Fidel Castro said that Cubans are willing to give their own blood for Vietnam. "His words inspired us to continue the struggle against our enemies," he added.

The Vietnamese military official recalled that Fidel visited North Vietnam in 1973 as a show of support for the Vietnamese government during the U.S. war of invasion. He added: “Cuba also sent doctors and engineers to assist their Vietnamese comrades.”

The minister noted that this trip to Cuba aims to strengthen military ties, especially the implementation of the bilateral agreement on defense cooperation for the period 2017-2019.

The visitors' agenda also includes talks with Cuba's top military officials, touring army units, and a lecture at the Maximo Gómez Academy, the highest training center for the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces.